Kansas, 1998

Ice Storm in Kansas, December 20, 1998

December 20, 1998 · NWS TOP · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

3 ice storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
4
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Douglas

When
December 20, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Douglas forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.885, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Freezing drizzle and snow caused icy road conditions and resulted in 4 fatal accidents which killed 4 people. A two vehicle accident occurred on Highway 10 near Eudora. and killed a woman. A vehicle slid on Interstate 35 in Lyon county during the afternoon and crossed the median strip where it collided with a tractor trailer. The male driver of the vehicle was killed. Two single vehicle accidents occurred about ten minutes apart on Interstate 35 in Osage county. The vehicles slid on the icy roadway and overturned. One person was killed in each accident.

Ice Storm, Lyon

When
December 20, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Lyon forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.456, -96.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice Storm, Osage

When
December 20, 6:20 PM CST to 6:30 PM CST
Where
Osage forecast zone
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.652, -95.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Ice Storm, Douglas1998-12-2046FemaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect
Ice Storm, Lyon1998-12-2023MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect
Ice Storm, Osage1998-12-2020FemaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect
Ice Storm, Osage1998-12-2049MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect

What these are

Ice Storm
Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5670277, 5670278, 5670279.